Are you thinking about starting to follow basketball? Specifically the NBA? Well, today I got you cover, you are probably at a loss as to where you should start. But it won’t be difficult to be part of the action I promise.
So just exactly how do I start following the NBA? An easy way to follow the NBA and become an avid fan is to pick a favorite player, that team your favorite player plays on is your team that you will cheer for and follow. Following your favorite player will help you keep engaged, and watching will be much more enjoyable.
I am going to provide an easy guide on how to follow the NBA. I will give you some tips and advice on how to start watching basketball so you now can join in on your friends discussing the latest action.
Picking a Player or Team
So you reach the point where you want to start watching basketball and become a fan and for good reason, maybe it’s the excitement or storylines or maybe you want to because your friends watch the NBA. Whatever the case you need to pick a player or team. Usually picking a team is easy when you know which player you like watching, although it doesn’t have to be your favorite team that would help you enjoy watching the game and accepting the team that your favorite player is on.
If you like a team that is in your city even better, I am sure you heard people talking about them at school or at work next to the water cooler. You are probably familiar with some players already. The great thing about basketball is that only 9 to 10 players play a game, so there isn’t a whole lot of players to remember. The superstar names in the league will pop up in basketball news fairly often and you won’t need to remember their names or how good they are because they are mentioned frequently.
Still having a hard time picking a team, pick someone that you think you would want to play like if you made the NBA. As for a team pick one that is winning, it’s no fun watching a team lose over and over again. You are more likely to stop watching basketball altogether. If you don’t want to jump on the bandwagon jump then pick that team’s rival.
NBA’s Youtube Channel
The great thing about the NBA’s youtube channel is that they condense every game and show every shot made in the game all in ten-minute videos so you will never have to miss a game or even a basket. This doesn’t beat the real experience of watching a game live but for games when players score 62 points it’s a thing of beauty to see. If you want to watch every game that played that night you could do it all in one hour.
This is great for people who are following the NBA because it’s very entertaining and keeps you engage. It also great for the times you just don’t have time to commit to a two-hour game. They won’t tell you who wins with the Youtube thumbnail either so you can be surprised by the end of the result which is awesome.
Basketball Video games
Do you like video games? Who doesn’t… video games are an excellent way to get to know players playing in the NBA. There are video games out there for consoles and phones that you can download and play. It is a great way to get familiar with the players in the NBA young and old while also having fun. I have friends who don’t watch basketball but play NBA2k.
If you like stats, you can see a whole list of statistics on players, what they played like the prior year, and how they did. The great thing about the 2k series is you will see a lot of retired players also, this can help you understand past players who were major superstars in the league during their time.
NBA.com
You will eventually need to frequent the NBA’s website, for what’s going on around the league. The NBA is like a soap opera on it’s own with Twitter beef and storylines that get really personal. It is the modern-day trash talk that players use. Why don’t they use it on the court? Some do but if they get caught they can get a technical foul.
Other key things you will want to do to keep up with the NBA is to check out the standings, the league leaders, and the scores. Last but not least you will hear about who’s playing and who’s injured. All of which are easily accessible through a 3 letter word website domain.
All-Star Weekend
A great way to familiarize your self with the NBA superstars is to watch the NBA-Allstar game. The NBA takes a one week break in early February in which a city will host a weekend spectacle of events. Such as the Celebrity basketball game, the dunk competition, and the NBA-Allstar game itself. All the big names are there young and old, trying to get a piece of the limelight.
The way the players are decided to play in the all-star game is through fan voting. Usually, these are the best players in the league that get to play in the game. It is a very entertaining game to watch and you will learn a whole lot of superstar names in the league that you are not familiar with.
Hopefully, your favorite player makes it to the event or you need a new player. All jokes aside, unlike other leagues winning the all-star game, means nothing in the NBA. It is more of a fun atmosphere with no pressure to perform.
Pay Attention to the Commentators
Paying attention and listening to the commentators is a must if you want information on players related to history injuries and stats. Listening to these old men will help with what is going on in the game while having better insight on players, and news around the league.
The great thing about the commentators is they talk about calls the referees make and will agree or disagree. In watching one game if you’re not too familiar with the call you will probably learn a lot after your done watching. A good tip is if you are unsure of a rule or term just google it and get a quick answer.
Things You Should Know About the NBA
Season – The season is made up of 82 games plus playoffs which are seven-game series.
Rules – There are a lot of rules but you can find all of them here on the NBA.com website.
Injuries – It happens a lot and it seems like severe ones happen more than ever in which a star player is out for the whole season. This can change a team’s chances of being a winner to a loser.
Load Management – This is a term that the NBA now uses when players rest due to nagging injuries and fatigue from the grueling NBA season. A team will do this especially after a player comes back from injury or just before the playoffs if there is no room to move up or down in the standings. Keeping the player healthy and rested is what load management is all about.
Superstars – Maybe not in other sports as much as basketball but one player can make the world of a difference in this team sport (basketball). We’re talking about taking a team far into the playoffs. Usually, 2 or more all-stars are needed in order to win a championship.
Players – 7 to 10 players play a game depending on if the team is winning or not, the rotation is small when there are 15+ players on a team.
Winners – In the season anyone can win but in the playoffs teams that are ranked number one or two usually always win the championship.
Teams & Star Players
There are 30 teams in the NBA and one of those teams lives in Canada. Listed below are the teams in their respective conference and their star player or most exciting player.
Western Conference
Dallas Mavericks – Luka Donic
Denver Nuggets – Nikola Jokic
Golden State – Stephen Curry
Houston Rockets – James Harden
Los Angelas Clippers – Kawhi Leonard
Los Angelas Lakers – Lebron James
Memphis Grizzlies – Ja Morant
Minnesota Timberwolves – Karl Anthony Towns
New Orlean Pelicans – Zion Williamson
Oklahoma City Thunder – Shai Gilgeous – Alexander
Phoenix Suns – Devin Booker
Portland Trailblazers – Damian Lillard
Sacramento Kings – De’Aaron Fox
San Antonio Spurs – Demar Derozan
Utah Jazz – Donovan Mitchell
Eastern Conference
Atlanta Hawks – Trey Young
Boston Celtics – Jason Tatum
Brooklyn Nets – Kevin Durant
Charlotte Hornets – Lamello Ball
Chicago Bulls – Zach Lavine
Clevland Cavaliers – Collin Sexton
Detroit Pistons – Blake Griffin
Indian Pacers – Malcolm Brogdon
Miami Heat – Jimmy Butler
Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis
New York Knicks – R.J. Barett
Orlando Magic – Nikola Vucevic
Philadelphia 76ers – Joel Embid
Toronto Raptors – Kyle Lowery
Washington Wizards – Bradley Beal